Chaos in Yemen Amid Claims of Houthi ‘Coup’

Reports of Ceasefire as Rebels Surround PM's Residence

The Yemeni capital city of Sanaa is in chaos, with state media seized by Houthi rebels, and the Information Ministry warning the country could be a “new Yemen” within 24 hours.

There are so many differing reports its hard to really know what has happened, let alone what will happen, but reports of a significant gunbattle between Houthis and the military fueled rumors of an in-progress coup d’etat.

By evening, there were claims of a ceasefire, but there were also reports that Houthis had surrounded the prime minister’s residence, and with the first incidents of violence centering around an attempted attack on the PM’s convoy, his fate is very much uncertain.

The Information Ministry reported talks between the Houthis and President Hadi centering on demands for changes to the draft constitution earlier today, conditional on them releasing Hadi’s chief of staff. The attack on the PM came after the meeting, suggesting he was viewed as a stumbling block.

The Houthis have repeatedly used their military might to impose changes in recent months, and while Yemeni officials have often cried coup, it isn’t clear that this was any more of a coup than anything else that’s happened in Yemen lately.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.